Experiences of slow movement practices in upper secondary school physical education

Abstract

We live in a fast-paced society, but amidst this rush, we can observe opposing trends, the slow movements. However, we know little about how these slow trends might have influenced the school subject of physical education (PE). The purpose of the research was to fill that knowledge gap and, from teachers’ perspectives, investigate what it means to teach slow movement practices (SMPs) within PE. In the present study, SMPs primarily involve yoga; however, they also include mindfulness, meditation, massage, and creative dance. A lifeworld approach guided the study, based on interviews with upper secondary PE teachers in Sweden. The findings show that teaching SMPs was marked in the teacher by a tension between uncertainty and certitude, in which the body became highly tangible, visible, and subject to judgement. However, even amidst this uncertainty, the act of teaching persisted through the reliance on their professional expertise as educators. We conclude that teachers sometimes struggled to teach SMPs because they were unsure of their own physical abilities. At the same time, they realised that teaching SMPs was not about striving for bodily perfection, whether in teaching or learning. The deliberate, slow pace required a unique form of listening and bodily awareness, which in turn called for a different pedagogical approach, one of guidance rather than instruction. By confronting the uncomfortable and unfamiliar aspects of teaching SMPs and remaining in these uncertain ‘spaces’, teachers discovered their capacity to build trust and teach even in the midst of uncertainty.

Keywords

Physical education phenomenology reflective lifeworld slow movement practice teaching school

Introduction

A common aim of physical education (PE), according to national curriculum frameworks in numerous nations, is to assist pupils in enhancing their physical abilities and competence across various physical activities, thereby fostering healthy and active lifestyles (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2021; Department for Education, 2013; SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators, 2024; Skolverket, 2022, 2025). This broad aim, however, often results in a focus on ticking off as many activities as possible – keeping the pupils busy, preferably raising their heartbeat (Kirk, 2010; Korp et al., 2023; Larsson and Nyberg, 2017; Tinning, 2010). We live in a demanding, high-speed society, and it would be surprising if those strains were not also reflected in teaching and educational contexts. The steady acceleration of technology, social change, and daily life (Rosa, 2013) easily spills into education and teaching, leading to what can be called ‘fast pedagogies’ (Payne and Wattchow, 2009: 18). In this context, there is a risk that a ‘take-away, virtual, globalised download/uptake of electronic pedagogy’ may begin to overshadow genuine face-to-face interactions (Payne and Wattchow, 2009: 17). Their study concentrates on environmental and outdoor education involving undergraduate students. The researchers advocate, in opposition to fast pedagogy, a slow pedagogy that ‘allows us to pause or dwell in space for more than a fleeting moment and, therefore, encourage us to attach and receive meaning from that place’ (Payne and Wattchow, 2009: 16). In the 1980s, when Carlo Petrini protested the opening of the fast-food chain McDonald's in Rome (Petrini, 2007), the slow food movement was born. In the aftermath, we can find slow experiences, slow philosophy, slow science, slow knowledge, and the like.

This international trend towards slow movements does not yet appear to have systematically influenced PE curricula in schools to incorporate a greater variety of experiential and body–mind-oriented slow movement practices (SMPs). There seems to be a sense of inertia in education globally (Backman and Larsson, 2016; Etkin, 2024; Standal, 2017; Tinning, 2010). One could ask why shifting focus from the prevailing ‘increase heartbeat logic’ to the less common ‘slow down heartbeat logic’ is so challenging. The World Health Organization (2021) defines physical activity as ‘bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure’. However, to cultivate a diverse understanding of the human body and foster awareness among pupils, it is essential to employ a variety of approaches for engaging the whole person (Sæle, 2023; Standal, 2017). SMPs are frequently undervalued as viable methods for embodied practice. Some PE researchers do discuss embodied learning and experiences (Standal and Aggerholm, 2018; Standal and Bratten, 2021; Standal and Moe, 2011; Winther, 2019), and Aartun et al. (2022: 7) have shown, with their study on pedagogies of embodiment, ‘how pupils’ exploration of (new) movements can contribute to the development of body awareness and meaningful experiences’.

Attempts have been made to introduce alternative movement practices, such as yoga, in schools (Skolyoga, 2024; Yoga Ed, 2024), though more rarely within PE or taught by actual PE teachers. We found only one study on yoga-based practices within PE taught by the PE teacher (Standal and Bratten, 2021). Studies focus more on measurability and the effects of yoga (Khunti et al., 2023), preferably compared with ‘regular’ PE (Haden et al., 2014; Khalsa et al., 2012). Nova Scotia, Canada, introduced a ‘mindfulness curriculum’ and offered an alternative PE course based on yoga, ‘Yoga11’ (Berezowski et al., 2017), but still not conducted by the PE teacher.

The role of PE teacher education (PETE) is to prepare pre-service teachers for the profession, including equipping them with the capability to stimulate diverse movement abilities. Despite this goal, there is frequently a predominant emphasis on traditional sports activities and an instrumental perspective on the body, reflecting a long-standing history (Francesconi and Tarozzi, 2019; Larsson et al., 2018; Sæle, 2023; Tinning, 2010). This typically includes fast-paced activities such as various forms of play, ball games, tag games, and beep tests. These activities are well known to most PETE students. In a recent study, PETE students were introduced, on a trial basis, to yoga-based practices to enhance their self-confidence in independently teaching alternative methods (Rosén and Larsson, 2024). The students discovered that yoga requires and generates a special kind of heightened awareness and presence in the participants. Andrieu and da Nobrega (2022) note that this action of listening and being attentive in a unique way also requires time. This particular awareness can be found in yoga-based practices (Ciołkosz, 2020; Engelsrud, 2023; Nevrin, 2009) or other activities like walking slowly in nature, Shinrin-Yoku (Andrieu and da Nobrega, 2022), meditatively dancing or playing an instrument, or simply washing the dishes but in a mindful way. These activities lead us to regard them as practices of slow movement or ‘slow sports’ (Martínková et al., 2022).

In contrast to the current acceleration across all sectors of society and the ‘shrinking of the present’, as described by Rosa (2013), the present study aims to shift the emphasis away from predominantly fast-paced and competition-oriented aspects of PE, as well as from the perception that physical activity is mainly linked to increased energy expenditure and enhanced metabolism (Borgen et al., 2021; Bull et al., 2020; Larsson and Nyberg, 2017). Instead, it aims to offer insights into alternative approaches to movement education that highlight corporeal attunement within a holistic view of the human being in movement. While we have not found a specific definition of SMP, several scholars have discussed the phenomenon of deliberate slow movements as a contrast to rapid physical activity (Engelsrud, 2023; Martínková and Wang, 2022; Standal and Bratten, 2021). Based on these scholars’ accounts, we understand SMPs as activities designed to foster bodily awareness, facilitate internal development, and integrate the body and breath, conducted without competitive elements. Instead of perceiving the body mainly as a vehicle for performance and rivalry, SMPs can be regarded as both a medium for subjective experience and an instrument for presence, awareness, and holistic completeness. Studies concerning this type of embodied practice taught by actual PE teachers are sparse (Aartun et al., 2022). Therefore, the present study aspires to contribute new knowledge in this area. The purpose is to investigate what it means to teach SMPs, from the teachers’ perspective, within the school subject of PE. In the present study, SMPs primarily involve yoga; however, they also include mindfulness, meditation, massage, and creative dance.

Lifeworld approach

This study is based on a lifeworld approach, following Reflecting Lifeworld Research (RLR) (Dahlberg, 2022; Dahlberg et al., 2008, 2024; Dahlberg and Dahlberg, 2019a, 2019b, 2020, 2026). RLR is grounded in phenomenological epistemology and ontology that directs researchers to attend to the lifeworld, that is, the world as it is perceived. The concept describes how we, as humans, are always directed towards the world, how we are related to other people as well as ourselves, and what meanings arise within this relationship. Thus, it is a concept that offers a way to understand, describe, and explain existential phenomena.

The lifeworld is something that both differentiates us and unites us with others. It is unique to every person; we perceive the world in our own way, but it is also shared with others (Husserl, 1970/1954). The researcher is interested in the distinctiveness between people and seeks to understand how it varies (Dahlberg et al., 2008). Even if we share the same aspects of existence, we may experience them differently. We are always directed to the lifeworld and the meanings that constitute it. Merleau-Ponty (1968) speaks about how meaning is always there before we think about it. Following Merleau-Ponty, we adopt his description of the human who must question what they are seeing without criticising it. To interrogate the being, one must step back and question it, and to remain open to the presence of meaning, one has ‘to let them speak, to listen in…’ (Merleau-Ponty, 1968: 107). This openness to the present being is at the heart of investigating a phenomenon: of describing, interpreting, or explaining the meaning of something in focus.

In this study, we are searching for meaning in the person's descriptions of teaching SMPs. To embrace the meaning of the phenomenon in focus, the researchers must attend to being genuinely present throughout the research process. This attitude, referred to as ‘bridling’ (Dahlberg et al., 2008), has also been described as radical questioning (Dahlberg and Dahlberg, 2020), and a balancing at the beginning of words (Dahlberg, 2022). Bridling is a reflective stance, as Merleau-Ponty (2006) wrote, to slacken the firm threads of intentionality that tie us to the world of meaning. We do not want to cut off the threads, but we must slacken them if we want to elucidate the encounter between the researcher and the phenomenon, that is, the encounter where meaning is born. The bridling process implies an ongoing attitude throughout the process, that is, planning the research, data gathering, analysis, and discussion (Dahlberg and Dahlberg, 2019a, 2019b, 2020, 2026).

As researchers, we cannot allow our perception to rest as an undemanding activity, as it does in the habitual way, but we will pause long enough to question what perception brings forward to us. Researchers must problematise and reflect on the taken-for-granted assumptions in order to be present and attentive to the phenomenon in question, allowing it to show itself more fully. To describe the phenomenon and its meanings, we are going back and forth as well as dwelling in the process of understanding. The goal of bridling is to be open to new, innovative, and unexpected meanings of the phenomenon.

Teaching SMPs

Bengtsson's (2006) concept of regional lifeworld can limit the scope of the study specifically to teaching SMPs within PE. Teaching is an intersubjective practice that occurs between the teacher and the pupils. The teacher has the intention to teach, but there is no guarantee that pupils will learn what is intended. So how can the educator ‘[k]now what the learners need?’ (Bengtsson, 2006: 125). We are never completely alien to each other because, as embodied beings, we are part of a social context. If the teacher is understood as embodied, ‘[t]he mind of the teacher is integrated with the body in the sense that the mind has settled in the body as a way of thinking, seeing, feeling and being as a professional in a habitualized world of practice’ (Bengtsson, 2013: 9). The teacher then engages with their entire body and being, where professionalism is not just something they do, but something they are.

Method

The present article is based on interviews with six upper secondary PE teachers in Sweden. The first author teaches in a Swedish PETE programme and is a certified teacher of eurhythmics, dance, and yoga within the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. The second author is a philosopher and experienced in phenomenological research. She is also a Feldenkrais teacher, a drama education teacher, and a yoga practitioner. These professions can be challenging because they require freeing oneself from preconceived ideas about how teaching, in general, should be done, and more specifically, how teaching yoga should be approached. Given our pre-understandings and lived experiences, practising bridling proved particularly challenging in this study, as it required a continuous effort to restrain premature interpretations and to approach the data with openness rather than judgement. However, our own experience from teaching body awareness has also been an advantage, as we have been able to grasp meanings that could have been difficult for novices in these fields to understand.

The decision to conduct the study at the upper secondary level was made because the national upper secondary school curriculum at the time stated that PE should provide pupils with opportunities to engage in various forms of ‘stress management and mental training’ (Skolverket, 2011). We considered that yoga or other SMPs could readily align with that objective.

Participants and setting

The first author invited several former PETE students to participate in the study; among those interested, two worked in upper secondary schools, which was a requirement (Sally and Henrik). They had previously learned yoga-based practices from the first author during their PETE and mainly saw themselves as beginners in teaching yoga. A third PE teacher (Erin), trained in massage techniques but new to yoga, participated in the study out of interest after her colleague mentioned it. Three additional teachers (Robin, Gisela, and Aili) were selected through snowball sampling to participate. Robin, unlike the others, was an experienced yoga teacher in addition to holding her PE degree. Gisela, with solid experience in teaching mental training, and Aili, with average experience in teaching yoga, formed an intermediate level between beginner and experienced levels.

The first author visited each teacher at their school to discuss the research and to gain an understanding of the context that the interviews would address. Initially, the research initiative had a broader objective that included teachers’ pupils; however, after the first interviews with Sally, Henrik, and Erin, a decision was made to focus solely on teachers’ experiences. Since there were some ambiguities in the interviews with Erin, Sally, and Henrik, we decided to conduct a follow-up interview with them. The names of schools and participants are fictional (Table 1).

The teachers were responsible for designing the SMP lessons independently and selecting suitable content, focusing on how it could be incorporated into an educational setting for school pupils. The first author proposed yoga and mindfulness as examples; however, the teachers were at liberty to interpret SMPs as they deemed appropriate. Linked to the curriculum's central content, ‘stress management and mental training’, Sally, Erin, Gisela, and Robin conducted a series of lessons with their classes. Henrik taught one complete lesson with all his classes, while Aili consistently incorporated SMPs as a smaller component in most PE lessons. All six teachers focused mainly on yoga as SMP; however, they also included mindfulness, meditation, massage, and creative dance.

Data generation

The nine interviews, which lasted between 31 and 64 minutes, were audio-recorded and conducted by the first author with a phenomenological open attitude. In accordance with the RLR principles, a standardised interview template with pre-set questions was not employed. Instead, only a few headings served as guidance for the interview process, enabling the researcher to maintain openness and responsiveness towards the interviewees and the phenomenon under investigation. The guidelines for conducting the interviews consisted of: Opening, Preparation, Teaching strategy, Difficulties, Opportunities, and Closing. Most interviews began with the question, ‘Can you describe how a typical day looks for you?’ and gradually focused on SMP experiences within PE, following the suggested interview sequencing (Dahlberg et al., 2008: 190–196). For example, ‘Can you describe a specific situation in a lesson where you were challenged or encountered resistance?’ The interviewer was also reflecting on their own body and the different expressions it could convey during the interview.

The follow-up interviews with Erin, Sally, and Henrik followed the same guidelines as the first ones but aimed to clarify some ambiguities and therefore deepen the researchers’ understanding of the experiences they had previously shared.

The interviews were transcribed verbatim by the first author, with elucidations in brackets, such as bodily movements, sighs, laughter, underlined words when emphasised, and ellipses indicating a short pause in the speech (Dahlberg et al., 2008). The first author translated the interview responses from Swedish into English as accurately as possible, aiming to maintain the meaning of the statements.

Analysis process, finding the essence(s)

After transcribing the interviews and gaining a sense of the entire material, the process of scrutinising smaller parts started. Working with one interview at a time, searching for the meaning, relevant parts were highlighted with yellow markers, pupils’ voices through the teacher with blue markers, and transformed into ‘meaning units’. These were then sorted into bigger groups of meaning, which Dahlberg et al. (2008: 244) call ‘a temporary pattern of meanings’. The dwelling into the interviews restarted, and a movement between ‘figure and background’ took place; an iterative back-and-forth movement from the whole to the parts and vice versa, trying to see ‘[w]hat makes the phenomenon that very phenomenon’ (Dahlberg et al., 2008: 245). While re-reading all the interviews, the essential meanings gradually became visible to the researchers. Essences are not the outcome of interpretation. ‘[I]t is not the researcher who gives a phenomenon its meaning […] Instead the meaning is disclosed in the researching act that takes place between the researcher and the phenomenon’ (Dahlberg et al., 2008; 247). The preliminary patterns were formed in five groups of constituents. However, after several turns in the analysis process, they became six.

A phenomenological attitude of openness and bridling (Dahlberg et al., 2008) was a significant component of our study. Nonetheless, it was only after repeated rounds of analysis that we recognised we had taken too much for granted and overlooked important details in the interview responses, despite their evident presence. This recognition consequently altered the essence and its constituents. The back-and-forth movement and testing of meaning were also applied between the constituents and the essence. Both authors were involved in the analysis.

Ethical considerations

From an ethical perspective, the study would not create any advantages or disadvantages, and the researcher did not intend to collect sensitive data. An ethical application was submitted to and received approval from the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (2022-04321-01). The teachers received oral and written information about the study and provided written consent to participate. The research was not designed to affect standard PE teaching routines but would include more slow movement exercises than typical PE classes. All pupils and teachers participated and taught as usual.

The researcher's awareness of the imbalance between the roles of researcher and informant was consistently reflected on during the interviews (Dahlberg et al., 2008). When interviewing someone about their lived experiences, it is essential to recognise the importance of maintaining trust.

Findings

In this section, we describe the essential meaning of teaching SMPs from the teachers’ perspective, as reflected in the empirical material. This part ‘is written in the present tense, because it describes how the phenomenon is, i.e. not what the informant said about it’ (Dahlberg et al., 2008: 255). The essential meaning is designated (in)certitude and was expressed by all participating teachers (but in slightly different ways). (In)certitude is built up by the following constituents, which together constitute a whole: Doing something different, but still not, Visibility and tangibility of the body, Balancing on the verge of embarrassing movements, Finding trust in the uncomfortable, Helping the pupils become present in the body, and Finding confidence in yourself as a teacher.

(In)certitude

Teachers’ SMP teaching is characterised by a tension field between incertitude and certitude, where the teacher's body becomes highly tangible, visible, and also judged. Being bodily observed can involve experiences of embarrassment for the teacher and/or experiences of presence and control. A kind of interspace is formed between, on the one hand, the uncertainty regarding how the teaching will be received and whether one's own bodily competence is sufficient, and on the other, the conviction that, even within this uncertainty, teaching remains possible through reliance on one's professional craft as an educator. Sometimes, incertitude is in the foreground, sometimes certitude is. They can also exist simultaneously. Incertitude means that the teacher has an unclear outlook on the teaching situation, takes chances, and is stressed by being in ‘the unpredictable’. At the same time, in this incertitude, certitude in the form of clarity can appear, as the teacher trusts in their own presence, relies on accumulated experience, and thus manages to embrace the situation's incertitude and convey trust.

The tension field between incertitude and certitude can be further elucidated by its constituents that characterise the phenomenon. Each constituent aims to clarify the meaning of (in)certitude, as will be shown below. Brief excerpts from the interviews are included in each section to help the reader understand the meaning and relate it to real-world situations.

Doing something different, but still not

Teaching SMPs, which in this study primarily included yoga, was experienced by the teachers as ‘something different’, providing a contrast to ‘regular teaching’. When they aimed to explain how it differed, all teachers brought up floorball, contrasting it with yoga. Floorball was seen as an expected and ‘regular’ part of the offerings, while yoga, or other SMPs, was viewed as ‘different’. At the same time, the teachers believed there was nothing exceptionally different about teaching SMPs, as they could structure the lessons similarly to how they usually did. Regarding floorball, they explained that the pace is much faster, focusing mainly on the ball, the stick, and scoring goals, rather than on one's own body. The teachers also emphasised that certain techniques must be performed in a specific manner. As a teacher, one can instruct the pupils, start the game, and then, declared Aili, ‘they are partly independent for a while’. The focus remains on the ball, the stick, and scoring goals.

In yoga, which is practised at a slower pace, teachers noticed that some pupils became a little nervous, so they understood it was especially important to remain calmly present with them and encourage them to listen to their own bodily signals, thoughts, and feelings. The teacher will have to ‘face themselves’, highlighted Aili, ‘not just focusing on performance’, and ‘not be afraid that it will be boring’ [because of the slower pace]. Both Robin and Aili felt that many pupils really appreciated doing yoga, and the teachers were surprised that even the ‘cool guys’ got involved. Aili noticed: ‘It seems to offer them something more than just playing floorball’. Erin felt that even though yoga is naturally slower, she needed to pick up the pace a bit so that the pupils did not ‘freak out’, which otherwise could be a risk, she reasoned.

Visibility and tangibility of the body

The teachers in the study described a more direct focus on their own bodies and a unique approach to somatic listening, which they also wanted pupils to adopt during SMP lessons. Teaching within the SMPs context involved navigating unfamiliar pedagogical terrain, which could create uncertainty and pose significant challenges. Some of the pupils the teachers encountered had complicated relationships with their bodies and felt anxious about being exposed when practising movement. The teachers described hearing pupils say it is uncomfortable to be observed by their peers while engaged in physical activity. Consequently, the teachers considered it essential to confidently participate in yoga activities alongside their pupils, thereby serving as positive role models. Robin suggested that teachers should be prepared to embody a confident and unpretentious attitude through their bodily presence and active involvement, thereby demonstrating to the pupils:

That it's okay to relax, to let your shoulders drop [Robin lets her hands pull her shoulders down] … and find this combination of slow breaths and movements […] if I feel safe … and do it [yoga], then the pupils will follow. (Robin, South School)

To inspire pupils to relax and release stress, teachers needed to find calmness and relaxation within themselves, they said. Gisela noted that ‘if I show that I am comfortable, that it's okay to make movements … it's okay to move my body, it's natural … then I think that rubs off [on the pupils], but if I’m uncomfortable … then they’ll be uncomfortable’. The fact that a PE teacher's body is the centre of attention and will be observed and judged by pupils is something that teachers practised during their PETE; it is not unusual, but rather a part of the profession, they stated. Most of the time, it is not uncomfortable to be observed, but Gisela meant it depended on the type of pupils you have: ‘If I were to get comments about my appearance or that an exercise I show looks weird, then it would probably feel different’.

However, teachers found yoga challenging because they felt they had to position themselves at the front of the classroom to demonstrate yoga techniques and breathing exercises. It became evident to Henrik that the teacher was observed by their pupils as ‘they have to stand there and watch me’. The teachers argued that awareness of their own limitations may serve as a barrier to even attempting to lead yoga sessions. All the teachers, except Robin, who was a certified yoga teacher, claimed that they dedicated more preparation time to sessions with SMPs than to other activities. They rehearsed both the movements and the verbal guidance beforehand, stressing the need to feel reasonably confident when demonstrating. They selected movements they felt suited both themselves and the pupils.

Balancing on the verge of embarrassing movements

Uncomfortable situations could arise during lessons, creating uncertainty and forcing teachers to walk a tightrope. Henrik felt that working with SMPs was somewhat like a gamble; an exercise could go ‘completely off the rails, depending on how the pupil group works, or the pupils may think it is great fun’. Erin explained that sometimes the pupils found the yoga poses strange, which made them tense and hesitant to engage in the exercises, or pupils could enter class and position themselves at the back of the room. Aili mentioned that she regretted not having the yoga mats arranged in advance every time because ‘asking them to move forward rarely works’. She interpreted the pupils’ backing away as fear, which affected the atmosphere in the room.

Erin, who taught massage, believed it took a lot of skill and preparation to effectively manage pupils who did not want to participate or when there was a ‘strange atmosphere’ in the room, and how to resolve it. Some pupils were sensitive about physical touch, so it was especially important to maintain a ‘humble attitude’. Erin did not force anyone; instead, she reminded the pupils that participation in the massaging was voluntary and explained that they could also learn by sitting on the sidelines. Likewise, Robin noted that sitting still in mindfulness and turning one's gaze inward is not always suitable for everyone, which is why Robin never pressured anyone to participate:

There's always someone who maybe doesn’t want to join in or … but … we have, like … here at the school … I’ve built up, like, this kind of atmosphere of … ‘we stay quiet … if you don’t want to join in, that's okay. Sit and look out the window, or sit and draw … but we stay quiet during this time'…. (Robin, South School)

Sometimes, Aili said, it was hilarious when she taught yoga, and the challenge was to stay focused without being too strict or becoming distracted. The teacher tried to allow and ‘accept that it may be embarrassing, that the pupils may laugh, and that it might be a little funny’. According to Aili, some postures, like the Happy Baby, were challenging: ‘That position is really embarrassing for most people, simply terrible, pure death … the worst thing the pupils can imagine!’ Aili emphasised that you must understand the ‘teenage brain’, and see it as a process of ‘letting go of tension’ where the pupils can ‘relax a little, but there is also a limit … When it turns into mockery, then it is about something else’, she concluded.

Finding trust in the uncomfortable

When the teachers encountered uncertainty, they looked for different strategies to manage feelings of confusion and ambiguity. To stabilise uncomfortable situations and effectively connect with pupils, the teachers relied on their own teaching skills. After all, they knew how to teach, even if their expertise in SMPs might be limited. The teachers regained confidence by believing in their craft as educators. They emphasised that the key was to stay committed and believe in their ability to create a calm atmosphere. Henrik shared that ‘I am in a teaching role and as long as I can teach yoga in a reasonable way, that is good’. Aili believed that even if there were some laughter and playful behaviours during a yoga lesson, pupils still gained benefits:

We did it anyway … That's the real challenge: to dare let it become whatever it becomes; to not focus on every detail, but instead, I am doing it, it should give them something, right? […] I do yoga. I’m present. So, you start there, then you can fine-tune. (Aili, Northeast School)

Henrik, worried about not being able to engage the pupils and spark their interest during SMP lessons, feared that the content would be met with scepticism and resistance. To address this, he began the yoga session with a creative dance exercise in pairs, using an invisible string to guide their movements. This aimed to dispel the perception that yoga movements could seem unusual and odd. Therefore, Henrik allowed the pupils to explore and experiment with different postures and movements in a playful manner, helping to reduce any sense of silliness in the body. This could make yoga easier for the pupils to understand and absorb, he thought. Erin mentioned that massage lessons sometimes were challenging. To build trust during potentially uncomfortable teaching moments, she often joked with her pupils:

This is free, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am a trained ‘half’ physiotherapist. This is what I learned in the training … Swedish Classical Massage, woohoo … so you’ll learn the basics and become a bit of an expert. (Erin, West School)

She noticed that the pupils became more curious, interested, and receptive, which, in turn, made Erin feel more relaxed and confident in the situation. When it came to teaching yoga, Erin thought, ‘Fake it till you make it’. She had never taught yoga before, but she felt proud that it worked as well as it did. The pupils followed along without any problems. Erin's strategy was to look committed and adopt a mindset that means ‘this will go well, I believe in this, this is no problem’.

To create a more comfortable atmosphere during yoga, most teachers arranged the room so that no one had their mat behind someone else's, often forming a circle. Teachers realised the importance of this after some pupils expressed discomfort at having someone behind them. The experiences described led the teachers to believe that certain postures and movements, like standing on all fours or in ‘downward facing dog’, might feel more challenging for the pupils. For this reason, teachers prepared the room as much as possible in advance. All teachers emphasised that creating a safe space was essential. For example, they dimmed the lights, lit a few candles, and played soft music before pupils entered, helping them ‘feel the atmosphere’ as soon as they crossed the threshold.

Helping the pupils to become present in the body

According to the teachers, the key aspect of teaching SMPs was building a connection with the pupils and helping them become more aware and present in their bodies. Additionally, helping pupils develop the ability to care for their mental health was another key aspect of teaching SMPs, enabling them to function better as social beings.

Robin, aware of the prevalence of eating disorder problems among pupils, said that a distorted body image is common in sports-related activities, among both girls and boys. She tried during SMPs to help the pupils understand that the practices they did in yoga and meditation during lessons were tools they could use even outside the yoga mat: ‘Just stopping and taking a few deep breaths, along with some movement, can make a big difference’. Robin felt that teaching yoga was invaluable, and also, there were no mirrors in the room:

You can dwell in your own little bubble […] there is no focus on hitting a nice football penalty or doing some wheelie … no one is looking at you … It's about experiencing and feeling your body from the inside … you can close your eyes for a whole session … you don’t have to look … am I doing it right? Do I look the same as the others? (Robin, South School)

All the teachers emphasised that, through SMP, pupils should better understand how breathing relates to movement and how their bodies function in terms of tension and relaxation. Additionally, Sally argued that pupils should be able to work with these concepts independently and become more autonomous. Gisela emphasised that the most important thing she considers is that pupils learn how to handle discomfort, anxiety, and stress, and that they understand that there are indeed ‘forms of training’ for that, methods for ‘maintaining good mental health’. When pupils think about health, Gisela pointed out, they usually associate it with cardio and strength training: ‘Not many pupils relate it to mental forms of training until we [teachers] actually mention it’.

Aili underscored the significance of reflective work in small groups, providing pupils with opportunities to share their experiences and perspectives: ‘This is, kind of, the most important job we must do, it is to help them [to function] in [various] groups’. Aili also encouraged pupils to explore ways to be more present in their bodies instead of ‘getting stuck in their heads, in a planning mindset’. Aili meant that it is possible to see when the whole body is ‘in sync’, such as when a pupil does a cartwheel: ‘It is not just about training, that is also important, of course, but it is a kind of presence [in the body] … which is visible’. The teacher struggled to articulate what the phenomenon was, noting only that it became visible when a pupil was either ‘in their body’ or ‘up in their head’. Aili nonetheless considered the phenomenon important to address with the pupils.

Finding confidence in yourself as a teacher

The teachers explained that they had come to terms with the fact that teaching yoga movements does not have to be flawless or perfect. Instead, they indicated that it can be beneficial for pupils to observe the teacher's physical stiffness and subsequently recognise that individuals of all body types can practise yoga; there is no requirement to be ‘super flexible’. Teachers with little experience of teaching yoga were surprised to discover that they could successfully teach yoga and similar slow exercises and inspire their pupils to explore yoga further.

The teachers found it fascinating that they dared to practise meditation with the pupils, despite their own insecurity. Sally recalled how, with some trepidation about the outcome, she instructed the pupils to lie down on their yoga mats and turned off the room's lights, leaving it completely dark. About 30 pupils lay on their mats, completely silent, calm, and motionless in the darkness throughout the entire guided meditation. This experience of the meditation turning out so well was incredibly powerful for Sally. She figured that the fact that so many young people gathered in the room, in complete silence and stillness, was very different from how a typical PE lesson usually unfolds.

Working with SMPs, the teachers noticed it affected their experience, making them calmer. They pointed out that teaching SMPs was rewarding because it kept them aware that, as teachers, they can also experience stress like pupils do and may need to take a step back:

At the same time as I teach the pupils … I actually teach myself too … uh … and make myself aware of … that I can also get stressed, I can also … well, experience things just like the pupils do…. (Gisela, East School)

Gisela described how the roles of teacher and pupil are becoming increasingly blurred, and how teaching SMPs prompted her to reflect on herself and her role as an educator. The teachers expressed that it is valuable to experience what the pupils go through, such as stress, and that through this experience, they can learn something essential about themselves and their pupils.

Discussion

In this section, we discuss the teachers’ experiences of what it means to teach SMPs within PE. The results show that the teachers sometimes had an unclear outlook on the teaching situation and felt stressed by being in the ‘unpredictable’ environment. However, when they challenged their own insecurity and persisted in teaching SMPs, they discovered that, contrary to their own preconceptions, they could teach SMPs. Put another way, the teachers realised they could dwell in the interspace between uncertainty and certitude while still trusting their own craft in the art of teaching.

After exploring the teachers’ experiences, there are important pedagogical implications to consider. The teachers’ bodily awareness became especially evident during teaching SMPs, which challenged their self-perception as physically competent and capable of demonstrating various sports activities without difficulty (c.f. Barker et al., 2023; Larsson et al., 2018). The results indicate that teachers, when teaching SMPs, discover how essential it is for them to acknowledge their own physical limitations, tolerate being observed, and risk being judged by their pupils. Instead, they seek their own inner calmness and the courage to reveal themselves in all their physical imperfection, and to relinquish self-imposed demands for perfection of movement skills.

Teaching SMPs was regarded by the teachers as an alternative approach to engaging with the body, distinct from the conventional content and progression typical of PE (Kirk, 2010; Larsson and Nyberg, 2017; Tinning, 2010). The teachers were driven by a desire for their pupils to enhance bodily awareness through their SMP lessons, and they discovered, just as Martínková et al. (2022: 162–163) write, ‘[t]hanks to slow practices, our being-with others may become stronger than in sports competitions, where “being-with” is combined with “being-against”’. This could apply to both teachers and pupils, moving away from competition and performance towards experience, reflection, and presence (Sæle, 2023). Fraleigh (2020: 466) gives an example of how Butho dancers try to open themselves to the present and the environment and how they ‘cast off known dance techniques to become more aware in the moment and awake to movement and place: whether gliding, turning, crawling, crouching, twitching, standing still, or waiting with wobbly uncertainty’. This can be applied to our study, despite our teachers not being Butho dancers: they needed to navigate an unfamiliar area, let go of performance pressure, and focus on exploring and observing what happened without judgement.

To be seen or not? For teachers and pupils, the gaze is powerful and can either affirm and strengthen the one being observed or undermine and harm them. In the study, teachers described both positions: on one hand, how awareness of their own physical limitations can make them feel especially vulnerable when leading yoga; and on the other, how they manage the uncertainty of being watched by allowing themselves to stay present in the moment and let the experience transform them. They adopted a mental attitude, such as ‘this will go well, I believe in this, this is no problem’, to build trust and confidence in uncomfortable situations. Focused on teaching dance and somatic movement, Fraleigh (2019: 95) states: ‘For myself, I know I have no right to ask others to risk being seen if I am hiding. So I trust, and let myself be seen’. Some pupils expressed discomfort with being watched and told their teachers how comforting it can be to spend a yoga session with their eyes closed, without anyone looking at them. Fraleigh (2019: 96) also discusses this: ‘Having the eyes closed helps people release fears of how their performance “looks”, to let movement be whatever it will be’.

A non-judgemental and permissive approach, as teachers, becomes an important component that can help participants open up to whatever arises. That is, they act like detectives who attentively and curiously observe and explore the situations that emerge and the experiences they encounter (Fraleigh, 2016). This situation describes a tension between allowing structure for the exercise and supporting freedom within the structure (Lehtonen et al., 2016; Ødegaard, 2003; Rodgers and Raider-Roth, 2006). Pupils should experience a sense of safety that allows them the freedom to be creative and take risks. For both teachers and pupils, there is an excitement in discovering oneself and others. The space in teaching, between the risk and the thrill of finding oneself and the other, rather than worrying about losing oneself, and the perception that the interspace between one and the other creates the world for us, is rooted in Merleau-Ponty (1968: 143):

[t]hrough other eyes we are for ourselves fully visible; that lacuna where our eyes, our back, lie is filled, filled still by the visible, of which we are not the titulars. To believe that, to bring a vision that is not our own into account […] to be the surface of an inexhaustible depth: this is what makes it able to be open to visions other than our own.

According to Merleau-Ponty, the perceiver is always embedded in the world and interwoven with others. My back, absent from my own view yet part of my lived body, can appear and be protected through the other's gaze. This reveals a basic dependence on others, not as faceless, objectifying eyes, but as co-inhabitants of a world that is never mine alone. The world is a shared space of intercorporeality, belonging to none of us individually. Within this shared horizon, others can offer places of safety in which I may find support.

The fact that the pace in SMP lessons is completely different from, for example, floorball, is something all teachers returned to. The difference between being present in slow and fast movements is described by Martínková and Wang (2022: 231):

The focus on doing activities fast often means paying insufficient attention to the experiencing of the present moment, reaching ever ahead to the future, and being impatient for the outcome. While being in the ‘fast’ mode, the human being overlooks the richness of the present moment.

How can teachers ensure that the ‘richness of the present moment’ is not overlooked? How can they encourage pupils to develop a special kind of listening to what is happening in the body, how it is experienced, and what thoughts and feelings it stirs, experiencing the body as a subject rather than just an object for training? A clear shift in emphasis characterised the teaching of SMPs. Instead of focusing on external objects, such as a ball, a stick, or goals scored, the emphasis in SMPs was directed inward, towards developing awareness of bodily and mental signals.

Teaching SMPs thus requires, for both teachers and pupils, an increased need for reflection and dialogue compared to other settings, often dealing with existential questions. The teacher will have to ‘face themselves’, as Aili mentioned, and find stillness and presence within, in contrast to the fast-paced school environment. The slow pace requires teachers to take a more guiding approach in their teaching rather than an instructional one, giving pupils enough time to explore and discuss their discoveries. Looking, describing, and discerning meaning in experiences can also lead ‘toward change and developmental transformation’ (Fraleigh, 2016: 6–7). Fraleigh reminds us of the Greek word educare, which means to elicit and further develop what the student already knows. Teaching and learning are both about growth and change, entirely dependent on the relational interaction between teacher and pupils. The teacher–pupil relationship changes in SMP; the teacher becomes more of a fellow practitioner than an expert. Our study shows that it is not solely a matter of pupils and teachers becoming more equal, but also that teachers, despite feeling insecure, can stand firm in the teaching situations and enable pupils to feel secure and less uncertain.

Limitations of the study

The study encompasses both strengths and weaknesses. A notable strength is its initiative in addressing a research gap, given the limited number of studies on the experiences of PE teachers in teaching SMPs, particularly when they are unaccustomed to teaching it. Our findings may have been influenced by our unintentional assumptions and by our roles as researchers and yoga practitioners. Completely eliminating such influences is unfeasible. However, we endeavoured to explore this territory, where bridled attention functions as a significant instrument; we know and ask at the same time, questioning what we take for granted (Merleau-Ponty, 1968). We also engaged in ongoing discussions to ensure active involvement with the material while maintaining an appropriate professional distance simultaneously.

Four participants in the study were former students of the first author during their time in the PETE programme. This circumstance may have constituted an obstacle, as participants might consciously or subconsciously behave in accordance with what they perceive their former teacher expects, rather than according to their own preferences. Nevertheless, it may also have yielded beneficial implications, facilitating a deeper understanding of each individual. The authors attempted to bridle their conceptions (Dahlberg et al., 2008) to reduce preconceived notions about the relationship during interviews and data analysis. The pupils from the selected schools were mainly academically motivated, white, middle-class adolescents. Including teachers working in more socioeconomically disadvantaged areas would have added value and could serve as a basis for future research.

Conclusion

The study has shown that the slow pace affects the teaching experience. We conclude that the teachers encountered challenges in teaching SMPs due to their uncertainty regarding their own physical capabilities and their ability to make the pupils feel comfortable and safe. The teachers highlighted feelings of insecurity related to these uncertain teaching situations; however, they also emphasised that they had come to realise that teaching SMPs is not about striving for bodily perfection, either in teaching or in learning. The intentional, slow tempo necessitates a distinct form of listening and bodily awareness, which consequently demands a different pedagogical approach – one characterised by guidance rather than direct instruction. By confronting the uncomfortable and unfamiliar aspects of teaching SMPs and remaining in these uncertain ‘spaces’, teachers could discover their capacity to build trust, develop relationships with pupils, and teach successfully even in the midst of uncertainty.

Table 1.

School names, participants’ names and ages, teaching experience, second subject, and number of interviews.

Schools	West		North	South	East	Northeast
Name and age	Erin, 40	Sally, 32	Henrik, 31	Robin, 38	Gisela, 26	Aili, 35
Teaching experience	12 years	2 years	3 years	12 years	2 years	4 years
Second subject	English	Swedish	Science	Psychology	Religion	Mathematics
Interviews	1	1	1	1	1	1
Follow-ups	1	1	1	0	0	0

Footnotes

ORCID iDs

Anna Rosén

Helena Dahlberg

Ethical approval

The Swedish Ethical Review Authority approved our interviews (Approval No. 2022-04321-01) on 17 October 2022. Respondents provided written consent for review and signature prior to the interviews.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Author biographies

Anna Rosén is a doctoral candidate in Sport Sciences, with a specialisation in didactics, focusing on teaching and learning in movement and dance, and is also a certified yoga teacher.

Helena Dahlberg is an Associate Professor in Health care, with her PhD in History of ideas where she wrote on Merleau-Ponty and the concept flesh/chair. She has an MA in Philosophy and is 2sa Feldenkrais practitioner.

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